Adidas and Reebok Marketing Communication Strategies

Adidas and Reebok Marketing Communication Strategies Introduction: This reported is presented with intent to draw would the comparison in the marketing communication strategies and mix adopted by the shoes brands Adidas and Reebok. The dual brands are functioning in a non-monopolistic global market environment which imposes the need to be market savvy and creative on the part of the business houses such as Adidas, Reebok and many other established brands to not only retain their existing market segment but also grow into new market on a local, national and international plane. There is a pre-existing need to modify strategies in context to pricing, advertising, product lines, product quality and marketing communication strategies. Failure to do so on the part of the business houses could adversely affect the sales of the product and lead the company and the product to an undesirable state of declination. The fact cannot be denied that the athletic shoe brand market has been emerging to be extremely competitive and a few brand names such as Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Puma have successfully captured certain market segments. These brands recognise the need to retain their market position and work towards market growth in the process. Adidas and Reebok, for the sake of exemplification have proven the fact that besides high quality products, a good market communication strategy and mix is vital for survival and simultaneous growth in a market which is constantly driven by a competitive atmosphere. I intent to utilize the following techniques to present a comparative analysis on the strategies adopted by Adidas and Reebok: Primary Research: Consumers would be interviewed and data compiled would be analyzed and inferences would be drawn on that basis. Secondary Research: Secondary Research would be gathering, analysing and segregation of data from websites, business journals and books. Business Analytical Tools: S.W.O.T. Analysis, Marketing Mix Market and Literature Review: Adidas: The German National Adolp Dassler could be credited with the creation of the phenomenal brand Adidas. His nickname Adi and the first syllable of his last name Das put together created the brand name Adidas. History states that Adolf was a shoe fanatic who spent several hours in his workshop designing shoes with intent to perfect it and to surpass anyone in this line of work. His dedication towards his cause led to the creation of this brand which in todays day and age is the second best global athletic shoe brand commanding a market position of 33% internationally after Nike. This brand came in to limelight with the 1926 Olympic Games wherein the sport star of the Games Jesse Owens wore Adidas shoes which performing at the Olympics. This led to instant recognition of this brand and soon the sales was reported to have gained huge momentum. The Olympic Games was the most crucial turning point in the history of the brand Adidas. From then on, Adidas, the Business house has been essentially sponsoring Global Sports Events, Olympic Games and many such events and has amassed mass popularity for their product lines. This strategy of the organization has helped the brand gain great worldwide media coverage for their product lines and the sales have been reported to grow in continuity. Zidane, Beckham and Kaka are the celebrities who wear Adidas shoes while performing at the games. The dual effect of high media coverage and the celebrity wearing Adidas creates a celebrity of sorts of the shoe brand Adidas. Today celebrity soccer players such as Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and many more are being sponsored by Adidas. Adidas has been successfully in existence for around 80 years being an integral part of the sports world providing hi-tech sports footwear, accessories and apparel. At the moment the business house takes pride in commanding a world position in the athletic shoe brand market. Adidas products especially shoes are sold all over the globe being available in almost every country of the world with multiple retail outlet wooing the consumers proving the fact that the business house has carved a distinctive niche for itself in the global market. Adidas has graduated from a small workshop in a little know German village to a world renowned global enterprise. (http://www.adidas-group.com/en/ourgroup/history/history.aspx) The distinctive logo it possesses and the catchy advertising slogan Impossible is Nothing further consolidates the brand image and popularity. Reebok: Reeboks United Kingdom-based ancestor company was started off to cater to one basic need which was to help athletes run with speed of lightning. Joseph William Foster in 1890s created one of the first known running shoes with spikes in them. By the period of 1895, Foster was in business handmade shoes by hand for the countrys top runners; and not before much time his fledgling company, J.W. Foster and Sons, created success by catering to an international customer of highly known athletes. The family-owned business house with pride created the running shoes which were used by athletes in the 1924 Summer Games celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire. In 1958, Fosters grandsons commenced a companion company that was christened by them as Reebok, named for an African gazelle. In 1979, Paul Fireman, who was a partner in an outdoor sporting goods distributorship, noticed Reebok shoes at an international trade show. Later on, he went on to negotiate for the North American distribution license and made a grand introduction of three running shoes in the U.S. that year. At the selling price of $60, Reebok was the most expensive running shoes on the market. Currently, Reebok International is a highly marked player in the sports and fitness products market, with a particular emphasis on footwear. Its prime strengths lied in its size and massive brand awareness. While athletic shoes are clearly its core products, concerns are being brought up over its comparative lack of interest in the associated athletic apparel market, which is over double the dimensions of the footwear global market. (http://bostonjobsource.com/reebok.html) Methodology: The methodology to execute this report successfully was primary and secondary method techniques. Primary method comprised of Consumer poll wherein a set of questions was asked to consumers of athletic shoes for their responses. The questionnaire comprised 10 questions based Reebok and Adidas drafted to draw answers which facilitated a comparative analysis While carrying out the secondary research, books and websites and learning modules were studied and comprehended. Employing the primary and secondary research techniques data compilation and analysis was carried out to draw inferences. http://media.katu.com/images/060124adidas_reebok.jpg Analysis and Discussion: Core Competencies (Jobber 2004) Adidas Core Competencies Technology Customer focus Brand recognition Supply chain Collaboratively competitive Reebok Core Competencies Trend Identification Ability to market to a niche segment Womens shoe design Design expertise Celebrity relationships S.W.O.T Analysis: (Belch 2004) A S.W.O.T Analysis in conducted of a business house helps us in understanding the strengths of the organization, the weaknesses it is confronted with, the opportunities the organization could avail of and the threats which present harm its growth, diversification and existence. Adidas Reebok Strength The prime strength of the organization is its 8 decades of existence in the global market. The employment of high end technology in the production process improves quality, precision and durability which are the most desired aspects by athletes. The organization has the largest international portfolio of celebrity sports ambassadors. The business house as a part of promotion sponsors football teams and has a high consumer brand loyalty mainly in U.S.A and India. Statistics and surveys indicate that Adidas has the maximum level of popularity and brand image in India. Reebok presents growing sales revenue. ON account of a part of a strategy to expand quality market share, the company indulged in the process of investing in three key products and marketing platforms: Performance, RBK and Classic. Reebok International happens to be the second largest producer of athletic shoes in the US, following Nike. The Reebok brand succeeds in accelerating sales pushing it closer to huge competitors such as Adidas. Reebok prides itself in being the number two or number three brand in most of its global markets. It dominates on 10% of the global market. The business house succeeds in increasing profits even though retail conditions are challenging. Weakness The pricing strategy of Adidas for all its products including athletic footwear lacks flexibility and is highly rigid and this proves to be a weakness in a general price conscious economy. Adidas is hovered over with a close competitor in the form of Nike, Puma and many more in the global market. The Indian subcontinent, which in now identified as a potentially growing market with high potential of revenue, the brand has not been showing good revenue results. The business has low market share in the apparel segment. Reebok has always focused on athletic shoes and not apparel. Here is where the business lags behind. The apparel market is twice as large as the footwear market and the competitors such as Adidas and Nike take advantage of this and sell their apparel products which add on heavily to their annual global turnover Opportunity Adidas should avail the opportunity to explore new world markets in the global arena. Health consciousness among the people in general is creating a good need for athletic shoes which should be skillfully tapped by Adidas. Creative advertising employed in continuity could open up opportunities of market growth and sustenance. The shoes are priced below average with a starting range of 45 dollars which is 15 dollars less than any other brand which sells at a basic 60 dollar price tag. Reebok could boost its price as it has a large consumer base worldwide and a price deviation is not expected to hinder sales but increase profitability. The organization could work on creating a better brand awareness in order to increase volume of sales. The brand could employ the best of technology to add quality and precision to its products. Threat Statistics show that Reebok, a competitor of Adidas has a good market share and employs a higher sum for market communication strategies. This presents a threat which is growing for Adidas. New entrant brands such as GAP, CAT prove to be a threat as they are eating in on the market share of Adidas which it has created over a period of time The brand is heavily reliant on footwear sales for its revenue input. This could pose a threat as there are continuous new entrants in the athletic footwear market. Reebok needs to diversify into other areas such as bags, sports equipments and fashion accessories to stay afloat in this highly competitive market which is unpredictable. Adidas commands a global share of 16% while Reebok stands at 6% Marketing Mix: (Pickton 2005) Product: ADIDAS: This brand has a huge product line of athletic footwear and apparels making it one of the most sought out brands besides Nike. The product is highly advertised through sports events where it gains good media coverage. Adidas uses cutting edge technology to offer comfort and style in their product which are light in weight. Undoubtedly, the products of Adidas have great value for money. Adidas shoes are known to have a grip which the sole provides and this is on account of good design and is useful especially in hiking. They go with ease on the legs and prevent any kind of twist or sprain. Reebok: The product line of Reebok is limited to footwear. Reebok has a good line of womens footwear. The brand has invested highly in technology to better its product lines. In the apparel sector the brand is lacking far behind from Adidas. Place: Adidas and Reebok have been selling in almost every nation of the world and they follows one level channel or an indirect channel to make their product reach out to the final consumer. The products are manufactured by the producer and it then reaches the retailer who in turn sells it to the final consumer. Price: Adidas shoes are priced higher than that of Reebok. Adidas can afford to charge higher than Reebok as Adidas is a far more established brand than Reebok. The quality of Adidas is known to be better than that of Reebok Promotion: Reebok: The promotional technique used by Reebok is basic advertising. The brand needs to develop better promotional strategies. New punch lines and slogan should be used by Reebok to create an impact on the consumers. It is observed that Reebok has the potential to closely compete with Adidas. Adidas: Sponsoring large scale sports events, adverting through different forms of media. Adidas have been constantly engaged in brand building programs. Adidas has joined in with the strategy of high fund allocation to boost sales and compete. Adidas with their innovative campaigns have proven to be at par and have to a large extent created the much desired impact which they set out to create at the onset of bringing about an improvisation of their promotional propaganda. Conclusion: It should be understood that footwear is no longer considered as a product that just offers a sense of protection for feet. What was hitherto taken as a Want is at the present day a basic Need. Today, the footwear business is a widespread and dynamic global business operation comprising of huge economies of scale. The athletic shoe segment is tremendously competitive in nature with the phenomenal players such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok and New Balance strategizing meticulously to retain their consumer market share and the small time players such as Puma attempting to gain large market share. The athletic footwear industry stresses branding more than any other competitive benefit. By the employment of advertisements, celebrity endorsements, varied promotions, and licensing agreements, the top enterprises or rather branded companies in this industry have allocated much of their resources to creating the much required brand recognition and loyalty. Significant features of this highly competitive market segment are expensive and continuous advertising, celebrity endorsements, brand awareness techniques etc. Nike, Adidas, Reebok and a few more brands are the market leaders in the world due to their market communication and mix innovative strategies. (Bovee 2003) Recommendations: It is recommended that Reebok work on improving its promotional strategies. Reebok should also focus on the apparel segment which is a large and promising market. The business house has developed a good consumer base and can work on increasing the prices of their products as this would bring in higher revenue, part of which could be employed for advertisement and promotion expenditure. Adidas should work towards improving market share and being at par with Nike which is currently the world leader in Athletic footwear. Adidas should focus on roping in more celebrities to endorse their products as celebrities are undoubtedly crowd pullers. It is also recommended that Adidas improve its product lines substantially as variation in products could lead to better and improved sales which form a major objective of any business organization. (Pettit 2003)

Mr Nobody Essay

Mr. Nobody is a 2009 science fiction drama film. It was written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, produced by Philippe Godeau, and starred Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Rhys Ifans, Natasha Little, Toby Regbo and Juno Temple. The film tells the life story of Nemo Nobody, a 118 year-old man who is the last mortal on Earth after the human race has achieved quasi-immortality. Nemo, memory fading, refers to his three main loves and to his parent’s divorce and subsequent hardships endured at three main moments in his life; him at age nine, fifteen and thirty-four. Nemo tells the story including alternate life paths, often changing course with the flick of a decision at each of those ages. The film uses nonlinear narrative and the many-worlds interpretation to tell the story of Nemo’s life. Mr. Nobody had its world premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival where it received the Golden Osella and the Biografilm Lancia Award. Critical response was generally strong and the film was nominated for seven Magritte Awards, winning six, including Best Film and Best Director for Van Dormael. The film was released in Belgium on January 13, 2010. Since its original release, Mr. Nobody has become a cult film, noted for its philosophy and cinematography, personal characters and Pierre Van Dormael’s soundtrack.[1][2] Plot: In the year 2092, Nemo Nobody is a 118-year-old man, the last mortal on Earth. Humanity has conquered mortality through an endless renewal of cells, and the world now watches in fascination as Mr. Nobody edges towards death. Everyone wants to know the life that he has lived. Nemo himself says that he remembers nothing about his past and a psychiatrist, Dr. Feldheim, tries to make him recall memories through hypnosis; other memories are told to a journalist. Nemo spits out contradictory pieces as he is prodded, and no one is sure what happened and what didn’t. He is less than clear, often thinking that he is only 34 years old. He tells of his life at three primary points in his life: at age nine, when his parents get divorced; at age fifteen, when he fell in love; and at age thirty-four, living his adulthood – all three unravelled into many other realities in a nonlinear narrative. At the beginning of the story it’s explained that before birth, children remember everything that will happen in their lives, but at the moment of conception, the Angels of Oblivion make them forget everything. Eventually, the Angels forget about Nemo. Now the boy first has to choose his parents. At age 9, his second choice happens when they divorce, and he has to decide with whom he will live. At a railway station, his mother leaves on a train, while his father stays. In one case he runs to reach the train and his mother manages to pull him in, in another he stays with his father. Epilogue: Before his death, Mr. Nobody tells the journalist that they both don’t exist; they are in the mind of Nemo as a boy, when he is being forced to make an impossible choice. The journalist is then seen looking out of a train window at 9 year-old Nemo as he just misses catching hold of his mother’s hand. The implication is that Nemo made use of that unknown man’s face in one of his imaginary projections into his own distant future. Back at the railway station one final time, Nemo creates a third and totally unexpected choice for himself; he abandons both parents and takes another way out of the dilemma by running away from the tracks in a perpendicular line towards an unknown future. He ends up as the adult Nemo sleeping on a bench by the lighthouse and waiting for Anna’s return. There is, eventually, an ecstatically joyful reunion between them where the two lovingly embrace. At the precise moment Mr. Nobody dies of old age, the expansion of the universe comes to a halt and time reverses itself. The imaginary 118 year-old man then cackles triumphantly as he springs back into awareness with the realization that his younger self has finally found his one true love and life.

Bob Knowlton Essay

1. DESCRIPTION This case is about a work team that worked together effectively, bonded well and felt comfortable around each other. All until another person (Fester) came into the company who had more knowledge that the leader of the group (Knowlton), causing a form of intimidation causing Knowlton to resign, and the group to be without a leader. 2. DIAGNOSIS. The main problem in this case was the lack of confidence Knowlton developed due to a new member to the company who had more knowledge to bring to the table. Knowlton was impressed by Fester’s approach to the group- analyzed reports, defined the flaws in the group, and new ways to address things. In addition the group was uncomfortable with the amount of knowledge Fester obtained causing lack in work performance- not able to speak out their thoughts/opinion, act with hesitation, and less team meetings. Basically Fester interfered with their normal routine. THEORY: The theory behind all of this was Fester was supposed to be partnered up with Knowlton to get an ideal of his work. However, due to propinquity which Luthans describes as â€Å"individuals affiliate with one another because of partial or geographical proximity† Fester got involved by reviewing previous report, leading him to raise concerns and questions (2011). Furthermore, according to Newcomb’s balance theory of group formation, Fester and Knowlton did not have similar attitudes to common objects and goals of the group causing a failure to connect. Moreover, with Fester pointing out good ideas that would have actually helped the group, the group didn’t want to make that effort to try to take that new approach and was resistant to change. Luthans describes this as the punctuated equilibrium model, â€Å"groups form in a first phase in which a target or mission is set and then are not altered very easily due to a process called inertia, or systematic resistance to change† (2011). Lastly Knowlton demonstrated poor leadership skill by leaving the group rather than trying to stick it out. 4. PRESCRIPTION: Short term resolutions: Would be to find the group a new leader. Long term resolutions: Would be for Knowlton to realize his flaws as a leader. He has self-efficacy up until the point that someone obtains more knowledge. Knowlton needs to realize that there will always be someone who know more. Furthermore the group needs to learn to adapt to change and no how to step out of their comfort zones- change up their process, reach for more. 5. FALLOUT: For Knowlton, if doesn’t change his ways he will never be a successful leader and instead a failure (quitter) – A true leader does not back down or quit without a fight. Furthermore, if the group don’t’ realize that things are bound to change, then they too will never find an occupation that they are happy with- businesses are growing and change is part of it. References: Luthans, F., (2011).Advanced Organization Behavior MBA 633. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions.

Cross-Cultural Negotiations essays

Cross-Cultural Negotiations essays Cross-cultural negotiations is the interactions, typically in business, that occur between various cultures. These negotiations are typically viewed as occurring between various nations, but cross-cultural studies can also occur between different cultures within the same nation, such as between European-Americans and Native Americans. As the world becomes more and more interdependent as a result in the expansion of globalization and international business relations, cross-cultural negotiations are becoming a common feature in business and political transactions. This being the case, understanding how cross-cultural negotiations occur is an important skill to have. Thus, there has been an abundance of research and literature conducted and written on the topic. What follows is a brief review of the current literature available on the topic of cross-cultural negotiations. I.Hendon, Donald W., Herbig, Paul and Rebecca Angeles Hendon. (1999). Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. This book focuses on cross-cultural negotiations as they apply to international business. Its premise is that many business opportunities have been lost due to cultural misunderstandings. To prevent this problem from occurring, special emphasis needs to be placed on adequate attention to details and a better understanding of the cultural heritage of the other negotiating team. What is most beneficial of this book is that it is written by international business practitioners and comes with a country-by-country profile containing relevant cultural advice. II.Magala, Slawomir. (2005). Cross-Cultural Competence. New York: Taylor This work focuses on successful cross-cultural management as being the key to international business. At the most basic level of cross-cultural negotiations is cultural competency, or a cultural literacy. In other words, the first step to successful cross-cultur...

Classical Music on Public Radio essays

Classical Music on Public Radio essays All of the music I listened to for this assignment came from www.allclassical.org. All classical 89.9 KBPS-FM is a Portland, Oregon area classical radio station that broadcasts music on their website as well. The first day I listened to the music was Monday, October 18 at 10:00 p.m. The name of the program was "Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin." Although the program had a host, the only time he came on the air was to introduce the one piece of music that was played during the hour. The composer of the piece was Edward Strauss Delius. The piece name was Polka Schnell, "Ohne Burmese," Opus 238. This music was longer than I had bargained for, about 1 hour and 3 minutes to be exact. This music sounded just as it was named, polka. A very fast polka beat, and it sounded as if it was meant to be a dance polka if there is such a thing! The composition of the music was very elaborate, and the music was well-played. Me not being a big fan of polka, I did not enjoy this piece all that much, although I did stick it out and listen to the entire piece. My second listening experience took place on Monday, October 25 at 5:00 pm. The program had no name, but the name of the host was John Pitman. Once again the host of the show proved to be one of the most boring men on the planet because the only time he came on the air would be to announce the name of the music. In this hour of listening, I heard a total of four pieces of music. In order, they are Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 33. Mozart – Symphony No. 24 in B-Flat Major, K.182. Mendelssohn – String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. Vivaldi – Trio for Violin, Lute, and Continuo in C-Major. In these pieces of music, all the composers were familiar to me thanks to my excellent Music Appreciation teacher, Mrs. Bradley. I enjoyed all this music completely because it was all familiar music of the past chapters we have studied in class. I beli...

To What Extent Does a Company Exist Only For The Benefit Of Its Essay

To What Extent Does a Company Exist Only For The Benefit Of Its Shareholders - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the Occupy protests taking place around the world have highlighted a problem that lies at the heart of corporate structures: the single-minded pursuit of profit at the expense of everything else. Indeed, the logic of the market demands that players in it pursue maximum gain. A company, therefore, is expected to pursue maximum profits for its shareholders. Wealth generation becomes a single and overarching focus.   Experience has shown us however that this has sometimes led to unfortunate consequences. The single-mindedness with which profit is pursued has allowed companies to neglect other issues and concerns. It became of little surprise therefore that the recession that has hit much of Europe and America and the widely-reported corporate scandals have highlighted the need to make corporate governance at the top of a company’s order of priorities and the overriding principle guiding its directors. The escalating protests on W all Street in the United States, for example, demonstrate growing public outrage against corporate greed and white-collared crimes.   In simple terms, this paper suggests that the company must exist only for the benefit of its shareholders only to the extent that it does not encourage corporate deviance and it retains its obligations to the rest of the society, not necessarily only its shareholders. This paper will begin by first discussing the Agency theory and its implications. Next, it will discuss the theory counterpoised to that, which is the Stakeholder theory – highlighting corners and turns of the debate that theoretically underpins the question as to whether and to what extent a company should exist only for the benefit of the shareholders.

Reaction essay to Slavoj Zizek's Against Human Rights article

Reaction to Slavoj Zizek's Against Human Rights article - Essay Example Zizek analyzes the argument of the ability of human rights in defending the citizens against violation of power. Some communities are fragmented, and they become weak in having collective speak at the grassroots level and this allows a higher authority to decide on behalf of societies like that. He views that â€Å"The political influence of the small-holding peasants, therefore, finds its final expression in the executive power subordinating society to it† (Zizek 3. Human rights institutions are incapacitated to review changes in a historic system that is violent and unequal in its operations. The intervention in Libya analyzes the legality or righteousness of military intervention by Western countries where the human rights issue was nonexistent. The Gaddafi forces were dealing with the rebels inappropriately therefore the West had to intervene. The military had they are own economic and political rights. Intervention in Libya was counter-revolutionary where it was not meant to fuel changes in North Africa but to implement imperial status quo. The intervention by the military was a sign of opportunism. In this political history, there was an illusion of national sovereignty where there was land to grab and exploitation of people who had no legal protection. The main concern was the issue of resistance of oil grabbing by Western powers where they treated refugees in Libya as subjects, not as human beings with human rights. Zizek politicizes human right that seeks to replace repressive regimes where such systems especially from the West take up a false ideological universality. Such universality contends that democratic capitalism is the best order, and the West has the duty to promote such governance. He reviews â€Å" the human rights of the Third World suffering victims effectively means today, in the predominant